Gluten-Free Creamy Italian Pasta Salad
Published
This creamy Italian pasta salad is my go-to for cookouts, potlucks, and easy summer dinners. It’s quick to throw together and perfect for prepping ahead, so I can focus on the grill while it chills. Made with gluten-free pasta, it’s loaded with fresh, vibrant flavors, briny olives, and tossed in a tangy, creamy Italian dressing.
I adore pasta salad—really, anything pasta—and nothing says summer more than a big bowl of it. I’m all about the creamy versions, like in this gluten free bacon, tomato, and cheese macaroni salad, mostly because the dressing clings to the noodles in a way that totally reminds me of Alfredo.
This gluten-free creamy Italian pasta salad is made with my homemade dressing using real mayo, two kinds of vinegar, my own Italian seasoning blend, and a sprinkle of grated Parmesan. Mix in your favorite Italian veggies, and you’ll have a pasta salad that I promise no one will ever know is gluten-free. It’s ready in less than 20 minutes.
Gluten-Free Creamy Italian Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 (12-ounce) box gluten-free Rotini or Penne pasta, I like Barilla gluten-free pasta.
- 1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts*, drained and chopped
- 1 cup black olives
- 1 cup grape tomatoes
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, diced
- 1 cup roasted red peppers, diced
- Fresh chopped basil, optional
Creamy Italian Dressing
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon marjoram
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 cup mayonnaise, (I am a Hellman’s girl)
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Bring water to a rolling boil. Add salt, olive oil and pasta to the water and cook to box directions for al dente. If the pasta is cooked too long, it will fall apart when you're mixing the salad.
- After draining the pasta, rinse pasta with cold water.
- Add pasta to a large bowl and stir in artichokes hearts, black olives, grape tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, roasted red peppers.
- In a small bowl, add all of the dressing ingredients and stir until fully combined.
- Add the dressing to pasta and stir until fully coated. Garnish with fresh chopped basil. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How to Make Creamy Italian Pasta Salad Step by Step
Gather the ingredients: Gather all the ingredients together.
Cook and cool the pasta: Bring water to a boil and add a large pinch of salt and 1 tsp olive oil to the boiling water. Add 1 (12 oz) box of gluten-free rotini or penne to the water and cook to al dente according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta immediately and rinse it with cool water to prevent it from cooking further. If cooked too long, it will fall apart when you’re mixing the salad.
Combine the ingredients: Pour the chilled pasta into a large serving bowl. Stir in 1 (14 oz) can of chopped and drained artichoke hearts, 1 cup black olives, 1 cup grape tomatoes, 1 cup diced mozzarella cheese, 1 cup diced roasted red peppers, and fresh chopped basil (if using).
Make the dressing: In a small mixing bowl, combine 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp dried basil, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp dried parsley, 1 tsp dried thyme, 1/2 tsp marjoram, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 cup mayonnaise, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, and 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese. Stir to fully combine.
Add the dressing to the pasta: Pour the dressing over the pasta salad and stir to fully coat all the ingredients.
Serve and enjoy: Garnish with freshly chopped basil, serve, and enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
This is the perfect gluten-free creamy Italian pasta salad for your next cookout or family get-together. I love serving it alongside other sides like gluten-free potato salad and corn on the cob, and it goes great with anything hot off the grill. It’s great for backyard parties, summer potlucks, or even as a make-ahead lunch on a hot day. I usually make a big batch and keep the leftovers in the fridge for easy meals all week long.
Storage Instructions
This pasta salad is even better the next day. Make sure to store it in an airtight container and in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I like to give it a quick stir before serving again, since the dressing can settle a bit as it sits.
If the pasta has soaked up too much of the dressing, just add a splash of olive oil or a spoonful of extra dressing to freshen it up. This salad is best served chilled, so no need to reheat—just grab a fork and enjoy straight from the fridge.
More Gluten-Free Pasta Dishes
- Gluten-Free Boursin Cheese Pasta
- Almond Flour Pasta
- Homemade Gluten-Free Pasta
- Homemade Cauliflower Gnocchi
Our Creamy Italian Pasta Salad recipe was originally published 6/26/17. It was retested, reworked, and republished to be better than ever 5/27/25.
Great salad. Fantastic dressing. Everyone loved the salad and were clueless that it was gluten free.
Finally found a gluten free site that does not taste gluten free. No giving up flavor on this one. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Some brands of GF pasta get hard (after cooking ) when cold. Could you recommend brands that that doesn’t happen to? I’ve never seen that issue addressed. Thanks!
Hi Carol, we like Barilla gluten-free pasta.
Amy recommended the Barilla gluten-free pasta and it worked great-no hard pasta.
I used 1/2 mayo 1/2 evoo. great recipe, great flavor!
Hello- did anyone have trouble with the pasta becoming crunchy or hard the next day? Just wondering because everything else was a huge hit!
This pasta tastes amazing my family refers to it as crack pasta because it is craved so much by them😂 I bake chicken sometimes using the creamy Italian dressing and it also loved. Thank you for this recipe, it’s nice to have an Italian dressing recipe that I can make from spices in my cupboard that my daughter who is gluten free can enjoy.
Your dressing knocks this one outta the ballpark! My gosh, so flavorful. One can add, subtract the salad ingredients but as long as you make the dressing as printed – you have an absolute winner. This is going to play a regular leading role in our daily menus from now on! Thanks so much!!!!!
We made this on a camping trip and absolutely loved it! Perfect for the end of a busy and very warm day. Thanks, Audrey!!
Just made this recipe for pasta salad & it is delicious! Thank you! Taking it to a family gathering today of my Italian family who still don’t understand gluten free. I’m sure this will be a hit.
made this for a summer party. I made up the dressing just as it is on the recipe. way to much salt . Taste before you add if you like a lot of salt go for it . I redid it with out salt and add about 1/2 tsp. in perfect for me .
This salad is excellent, making it again for Memorial day. The combination of veggies, pasta and that creamy dressing is delicious. I added some pepperoni to please my carnivore husband. The star of this show is the creamy Italian dressing. Fabulous. Barilla gf pasta stayed soft and fresh for several days. This is a winner!